By Thomas Warren III, Editor-in-Chief

When Amarillo voters head to the polls this May, it will come at a unique time for Amarillo. Amarillo citizens have faced numerous tax increases, debt issuances, an attempt to extend the City Council’s terms in office, and more over the past four years. Plus, don’t forget about the ongoing pandemic and the new mask enforcement ordinance the Amarillo City Council passed last week, which will be a hot topic no matter where you fall on the issue.

Looking at the timeline of the past four years, it’s remarkable what Amarillo voters have experienced. From being lied to regularly by City officials, to being treated like a piggy bank for numerous unnecessary expenditures, it has certainly been a race to the bottom at City Hall. Plus, we’re apparently getting a new city hall too, even though citizens rejected the spending package that included that project. Yay, Amarillo!

I point all of this out to remind Amarillo voters that the past four years have been a problem for Amarillo, our taxpayers, and our future longevity as a city. So, with the upcoming election, it seems clear Amarillo needs a change. However, any change won’t do, as looking for a change in 2017 is what got us into this mess in the first place.

When candidates step up to the plate to run for office in 2021, they will have to bring real solutions to the table in order to chart a path to victory, and more importantly, an agenda to do the job they are seeking correctly. Talking about where you go to church, how much you love Amarillo, and how great of a volunteer you think you are won’t cut it this time. We need candidates who will go beyond the mailers and commercials to show they can actually do the job if they get elected and won’t be beholden to special interests like Amarillo Matters, Build Amarillo, or whatever the establishment is calling itself today.

It’s one thing to win an election, but it’s another thing entirely to actually do the job once you are in office. Like I mentioned a moment ago, we saw five people win office in 2017 who could win an election, but few of those people have had any real ability to do their jobs well, it seems. Perhaps Amarillo voters should consider that’s what you get when you elect someone who asked if it counts if they watch City Council meetings on television when asked how many meetings they had attended before running for office.

You will likely hear buzzwords thrown around by candidates, including challengers and incumbents, about tone, cooperation, conflict, leadership, and more. However, without real solutions, we might elect people who bring new faces to City Hall, but who leave us stuck in the same place we are today.

Our candidates must talk about solutions and ideas. Our candidates have to address the hot topics in Amarillo that have gone unresolved. Let’s talk about moving elections to November, enacting single-member districts, and cleaning up Animal Management & Welfare. Let’s also talk about where Amarillo goes post-COVID-19, in terms of economic recovery.

On all of these issues, our current elected officials have failed. But it’s not enough to just not be the incumbents this time.

I am hoping our candidates bring ideas to the conversation this year to address the issues Amarillo must address in the coming years. This year, instead of Amarillo Matters and the glossy flyers, Amarillo deserves candidates who bring solutions to table.

We can do better, but only with the right candidates.